THE overdue appointment of a Chief Elections Officer (CEO) is expected to be a main priority of the Commissioners of the Guyana Elections Commission (GECOM) when they meet today.

GECOM Public Relations Officer, Vishnu Persaud, told the Guyana Chronicle that the Commissioners were unable to meet sooner because of prior engagements related to training and observation of other election processes, among other reasons.
He added that since it was reported in the media that four persons were shortlisted and are being considered for appointment to the post, that position remains the same.
The Guyana Chronicle understands that among the four applicants are two Guyanese, the acting Chief Elections Officer, Calvin Benn and acting Deputy Chief Elections Officer, Keith Lowenfield. The two Guyanese are reportedly among the top candidates for the post.
GECOM advertised for applicants last August and applicants had until the end of September to make their submissions.
Persaud noted that the “substantive number of applications” have already gone through the process of short-listing.
The post of Chief Elections Officer became vacant after GECOM declined to renew the contract of Gocool Boodoo, following concerns that were raised by the Opposition over a computing mistake that was made in the allocation of seats in the 2011 elections. The mistake had been rectified. Also, Boodoo’s late submission of notice of his intent to seek renewal of his contract affected his prospects of being reappointed to the position.
GECOM in an advertisement invited applications last August and applicants had until the end of September to make their submissions.
The Chief Election Officer is required to play the key leadership role in the Secretariat of the GECOM, with responsibility for implementing all aspects of its operations, and ensuring that results achieved are consistent with the laws of Guyana and the policies determined by the Chairman and Commission.
The Chief Election Officer will act as the Commission’s primary point of contact to the staff members of the Secretariat, whose activities include the registration of registrants; the distribution of ID Cards; the provision of information and guidance on electoral operational matters to community organisations and other stakeholders.
The new official will also be required to represent the Commission’s policies and activities in interactions with stakeholders, and other interest groups, including political parties, non-governmental organisations (NGOs), donor and international agencies, in matters relating directly to the operations of GECOM.
The post of CEO has been vacant now for some six months and is integral to the highly anticipated hosting of Local Government Elections.
WORK PLAN
Asked about the Commission’s readiness for Local Government Elections, given Parliament’s approval of the Local Authorities (Elections) (Amendment) Bill 2013, which states that elections must be held on or before August 1, 2014, Persaud maintained his earlier publicised position and said, “The Bill has not yet been assented to and even when it is signed by the President, GECOM has a work plan that spans 180 days to facilitate the hosting of the Local Government Elections.”
He maintained that GECOM would need the six months of notice to get that plan operational.
Asked about the status of the continuous registration process, Persaud noted that the last cycle was completed in December. “The sixth cycle is likely to be commenced in March,” he said.
Local government elections were not held in Guyana since 1994. Prior to that, local government elections were last held in 1970. Subsequent to 1994, the elections could not be conducted because of the coincidence with the general and regional elections of 1997.
Minister of Local Government and Regional Development, Norman Whittaker, when asked last week about the ministry’s and, by extension, the government’s preparations for the elections disclosed that, in terms of public awareness, efforts continue apace.
The minister stated that these efforts, which began last October, are quintessential to ensuring that there is good voter turnout for the elections.
However, Whittaker stressed that the ministry’s readiness, nor that of Guyana’s three political parties, is not the only factor that determines Guyana’s overall readiness to host the elections, citing in particular the preparedness of the GECOM as crucial.

(By Vanessa Narine)